Einstein in the Media

Wall Street Journal interviews Kartik Chandran, Ph.D., and Steven Walkley, D.V.M., Ph.D., about the connection between the rare genetic disease Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) and Ebola. Dr. Chandran’s research suggests that the gene mutation responsible for NPC may offer protection against Ebola. Dr. Walkley notes that it is well-known that carriers of certain genetic diseases might have protection against other diseases, citing that carriers for sickle-cell disease might be protected against malaria. Dr. Chandran is associate professor of microbiology & immunology and holds the Harold and Muriel Block Faculty Scholar in Virology. Dr. Walkley is director of the Rose F. Kennedy Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center and professor of pathology, of neurology and of neuroscience at Einstein. (subscription only)

The New York Daily News interviews Kartik Chandran, Ph.D., about the evolving Ebola epidemic and the risk of airline travel in light of news that someone who later tested positive for the virus traveled by air while infected. Dr. Chandran notes that there has never been a case when a person caught Ebola on an airplane. Dr. Chandran is associate professor of microbiology & immunology and holds the Harold and Muriel Block Faculty Scholar in Virology.

(Thursday, October 16, 2014)

New York Times interviews Kartik Chandran, Ph.D., about new research that found the experimental Ebola drug ZMapp was successful in treating monkeys infected with the virus. The drug was used to treat two American aid workers infected during the current West African outbreak. Dr. Chandran notes the preliminary results were astounding as following treatment all the monkeys were healthy. Dr. Chandran is associate professor of microbiology & immunology and holds the Harold and Muriel Block Faculty Scholar in Virology

(Tuesday, September 02, 2014)

CBSNews.com interviews Kartik Chandran, Ph.D., about the Ebola outbreak and his research on the virus. Dr. Chandran explains how Ebola enters cells and that his and other scientists’ research has identified new targets for drug development. Dr. Chandran is associate professor of microbiology & immunology and holds the Harold and Muriel Block Faculty Scholar in Virology.

Huffington Post featured an op-ed co-written by Kartik Chandran, Ph.D., that addresses why no drug has been developed to cure Ebola. Dr. Chandran and co-author John Dye, Ph.D., of the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, note that industry might be hesitant to invest in research for a drug that treats a virus infecting a relatively small number of people. They also call for innovative academia-industry partnerships. Dr. Chandran is associate professor of microbiology & immunology and holds the Harold and Muriel Block Faculty Scholar in Virology.

(Thursday, July 10, 2014)

The Science Channel’s “Through The Wormhole” interviews Kartik Chandran, Ph.D., about how the deadly Ebola virus infects humans. Dr. Chandran notes that viruses like Ebola have evolved to exploit access ways into cells, likening the behavior to using a lock pick to break into a padlock. Dr. Chandran is associate professor of microbiology & immunology and holds the Harold and Muriel Block Faculty Scholar in Virology.

(Monday, June 30, 2014)

National Geographic interviews Kartik Chandran, Ph.D., about the scientific possibility that a zombie-inducing virus, of the type featured in the film World War Z, could emerge in real life. Dr. Chandran provides some perspective on natural hybridization and spontaneous mutations that could lead to a novel and deadly virus spreading quickly, but notes that the majority of viruses on Earth actually infect single-celled microbes, not humans. Dr. Chandran is associate professor of microbiology & immunology.

(Tuesday, June 25, 2013)

The Scientist features Kartik Chandran, Ph.D., as a "Scientist to Watch" for his research that helped identify how the deadly Ebola virus infects cells. The article charts Dr. Chandran’s career – from his high school chemistry club’s explosive experiments to his innovative techniques to manipulate the surface proteins of viruses. Dr. Chandran is associate professor of microbiology & immunology.

(Tuesday, September 04, 2012)

Could the deadly Ebola virus establish a foothold in the U.S.? Newsweek.com talks to Kartik Chandran, Ph.D., about the possibility. Dr. Chandran recently received a $5 million NIH grant to investigate how Ebola is transmitted between animal species. Dr. Chandran is associate professor of microbiology & immunology.

(Monday, August 06, 2012)

The New York Times features research in Nature by Einstein's Kartik Chandran, Ph.D., and a multi-institutional team of researchers that identifies the key protein the deadly Ebola virus needs to infect cells, which could become a target for treatment. The research team includes investigators from Harvard Medical School and United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. Dr. Chandran is assistant professor of microbiology & immunology. (Tuesday, January 17, 2012)

Reuters features new research by Kartik Chandran, Ph.D., published in Nature that identifies the key used by the deadly Ebola virus to unlock and infect cells. Dr. Chandran is assistant professor of microbiology & immunology. (Wednesday, August 24, 2011)